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344
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[NOVEMBER, 1894.
"Shall I go back and have her killed for her crime?" thought he within himself. But he did not like to be so very hasty, and as the princess was his wife only in name, he did not much care what life she led.
"She is already proclaimed by me to be a bad woman, and deservingly has been placed in a disgraceful corner of the town. If she had established her conduct to be above suspicion, I would have taken her back to myself; but now she has forfeited all chance of ever returning to me as my wife. Why should I, therefore, care any more for her? Why should I curtail my pleasures in travelling over several countries to visit Bânâras ?"
Thus thought he within himself, and thongh the insinuating taunts of the Vijayanagara monarch and his minister pierced him to his heart, he beard them calmly and started towards the north. The talisman he still kept with him, though he no more cared to look at it and examine it every day. Thus was the husband of the most chaste Ambika poisoned in his judgment, and, after leaving Vijayanagara, he banished from his mind all thoughts of her. The various countries he passed through, and their scenery, peoples, manners and customs engaged his attention. After a seven months' journey, he reached Bânâras, and took up his abode in a fashionable quarter, generally occupied by well-to-do people.
He was still new to the place, and was spending his first month in making the acquaintance of several princes and noblemen's sons, who were staying in that sacred city, like himself. Almost opposite to his lodging there was sojourning the prince of Simhaladvipa, keeping a large establishment of servants and courtezans. The Pandiyan prince contrasted himself with the Sinhala prince and thought he to himself:
"How happy this prince of Simhala spends his stay here! What a large establishment he keeps! What a pity it is that I did not make as pleasant arrangements for myself!"
Thus thought he and wished to cultivate his acquaintance, but the Simhala prince seemed to care for nothing in the world except his own enjoyments. There was feasting. dancing and music in his house every day almost, but he kept it all to himself, and invited none to it,
Now the Pandiyan prince was always unhappy. His wife's conduct since he had married. her, the curious talisman which still preserved its colour notwithstanding the months that had, passed since he first received it from her hands, her goodness, sound learning, and then that she should so easily have received the Vijayanagara minister to her embrace, would come into his mind in his loneliness and make him extremely sad. At other times, he would entirely forget her, and even if he thought of her, would never bestow any thought upon her conduct, or how his reputation would be affected by it, as long as he did not regard her as his wife Bat little by little he entirely gave up all his ideas about his wife, and his great object was to cultivate the friendship of the prince of the Simhaladvipa, and enjoy, in his company, all the festivities to which that prince was so addicted,
(To be continued.)
NOTES AND QUERIES.
A TELUGU SUPERSTITION,
The Telugus, as a rule, wear constantly a thread round the waist which they call molatada. It is renewed from time to time. If, however, a Telugu happens to lose his wife he ceases to wear it for a period, and it is thrown away; and if during this period, he happens to receive a
blow on the top of the head with the palm of the hand he is supposed to be afflicted with hydrocele. Repeated instances to the contrary have not yet succeeded in convincing the people of the groundlessness of this time-honored superstition,
M. N. VENKETSWAMY.
